Crime Tracker: Shopping safely with a little "Krav Maga"

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Stores can only offer you so much security during the holidays. You need to be able to defend yourself as well. Instructors at Mid-South Krav Maga showed us the basics of self defense for a very special Crimetracker report.

It's a typical holiday scene. You're walking to your car, your arms are heavy with packages and shopping bags and the only thing you're worried about is which store to go to next. That's when things can turn dangerous! "Hey, give me your money!"

Knowing what to do if you're attacked in a parking lot can save your life. It's a lesson taught at Mid-South Krav Maga. Instructor Patrick Terry isn't surprised by crime around the holidays. "Realize that this is the time of year when bad guys are looking for property to make a few extra dollars."

Terry says if you're approached in a parking lot the bags in your hands can become weapons. "Use the tools you have. Throw what you have at them. Strike them, strike them and then get away from them."

If your attacker has a gun your reaction should be different. "I am by myself," Terry told us during a demonstration. "I don't have any children in the car. Really the only threat to me is not complying with his demand to give him my property." Terry advises clients to fight for their lives, not their property. If you have something a crook wants give it to him, unless he wants you to get in the car with him. Terry says that's the point when you must stand your ground. "When you're going to fight for your life fight right here in the parking lot where hopefully other people can see you. Make your defense here. Make that fight for your life right here, right now. Never get in a car with anyone."

The best defense is really a good offense. Be aware of your surroundings. Terry says "tunnel vision" is dangerous. If you think someone is going to approach you don't be afraid to yell at them and tell them to get away. That might be just enough to ward off an attack, because the object is not to fight, it's to get away from someone who means you harm.

You can learn more from instructors at the Mid-South Krav Maga Center Saturday, December 2. The "Holiday Safety" seminar runs from 10:30am to 3:00pm at the Midtown location on Poplar Avenue.